


He Came Back

by ThatScottishShipper



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Angst, Ascians (Final Fantasy XIV), Canonical Character Death, Comes Back Wrong, Corpse Desecration, Dark, Don’t repost to another site, F/M, Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward Spoilers, Gift Fic, Grave, Grief/Mourning, Guilt, Haurchefant Greystone Angst, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:21:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28567638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatScottishShipper/pseuds/ThatScottishShipper
Summary: Haurchefant came back.
Relationships: Haurchefant Greystone/Warrior of Light
Kudos: 14





	He Came Back

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LightOfTheLucii](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightOfTheLucii/gifts).



On the cliff overlooking Ishgard, clouded with snow, the Warrior of Light knelt before a sole grave.

The Miqo’te had visited many times prior, laying flowers at the foot of the gravestone. The shield propped against it served as a chilling reminder, that fractured hole exposed like an empty heart.

He had died for her.

Haurchefant gave up his life, but gave her a smile as his soul faded away.

Forever carrying around that burden, the Warrior of Light returned often to the spot. Her earring bore the emblem of House Fortemp, as did her ring, gifts from the fatherly Patriarch.

She never removed them, determined to keep a part of Haurchefant, and the guilt, with her always.

Snow crunched behind the Warrior of Light, alerting her to a visitor… or an intruder. Slowly rising to her feet, hand firmly on their sword, Eorzea’s Champion turned around.

Her heart nearly stopped.

An Elezen in chain mail from the past stood, staring at her through the snowfall. With silver hair and eyes that matched, a face she only saw in sombering portraits stared right at her.

A once jovial smile spread towards her, tugging her heart in a direction she thought impossible.

“Oh, it has been too long,  _ hope incarnate… _ ”

The Warrior of Light’s heart shattered into a thousand pieces, her entire world (and those beyond it) shrivelling to dust.

She knew exactly why he stood there, speaking those words. It had been why others walked beyond the realm of the dead, shells of mortals defiled by Ascians with nefarious purposes.

She should have  _ known _ it was only a matter of time before one of them reanimated his body and mocked them both with it.

Nevertheless, the hand still gripping her sword trembled, her lips pursed to prevent words of grief and anger passing. Though she was known to be a Miqo’te of few words, even fewer existed to define the moment.

“Why the long face? I don’t hold it against you.”

Momentarily, he glanced at where his fatal injury had been, knowing that the Warrior of Light relived that moment all too clearly.

A hole punctured into the Fortemp shield behind her. A smile stained with blood.

Then nothing.

Her already broken heart ached most terribly, guilt squeezing inside her chest until every breath came hollow.

Tilting his head, the host occupying her beloved Haurchefant’s  _ corpse _ like a puppet grinned most wickedly.

It was not  _ his _ smile, not any more.

“Oh… do not look at me so.”

_ No. _

“A smile…”

_ No no no no no no. _

“...better suits a hero, don’t you think?”

**Author's Note:**

> Another birthday fic for my gf, LightOftheLucii, and this one is some heavy angst to go with the pr0n.
> 
> We’ve been talking about the potential for angst through Haurchefant being reanimated by the Ascians lately, and honestly? It’s an idea we really like, even if it’s very sad. It would hit very hard, which is what I wanted to convey in this mini fic about the idea.
> 
> The WoL’s guilt along with THOSE lines would be soul destroying.
> 
> As always, the WoL in the fic is based on my gf’s WoL in game.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. 🖤
> 
> Happy Birthday, bb ❤️


End file.
